Enduring Pain, Enduring Spirit. The Function of a Masochistic Perversion in Preserving the Self and its Good Objects - Lauren Kaye
Date: 23 January 2010
9.45am - 12.30pm
Chair: Wendy Bratherton
This presentation arises from my work with a man who referred himself for analysis tortured by violent thoughts and dreams and plagued by suicidal and homicidal impulses. Subjected as a child to sustained physical and emotional abuse, he developed a masochistic masturbatory ritual.
I hope to explore the psychic function of a masochistic perverse practice as an act of defiant protest in preserving the self and its good objects from the threat of corruption by a tyrannical internal figure. Following Jung’s idea that the symptom or disease may signify something of value to the individual, I will describe how this patient used masochistic rituals as evidence of his invulnerability and indestructibility in the face of the sadistic attacks on his physical and psychic self. The recovery of his relationship to a good parental object through the analytic relationship enabled him to relinquish his reliance on these rituals and other omnipotent defences and release his capacity for healthy dependency on his analyst and others, transforming masochistic suffering into forbearance and healthy self-care.
Lauren Kaye is a Professional Member of The SAP with a background in teaching and student counselling. She works in private practice as a Jungian analyst, psychotherapist and supervisor in Hertfordshire.
Wendy Bratherton is a Professional Member of The SAP and a Training Analyst and supervisor of the BAP. She is in full-time practice in Cambridge and is an infant observation seminar leader.
Venue: Friends Meeting House, 91-93 Hartington Grove, Cambridge
Cost: £17 including coffee
Posted by SAP Admin
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